Three young men died in a devastating crash on the A38 after the van they were travelling in hit a signpost.

Marshall Arnott, Zachary Graham and Trevor Gorman all died instantly from multiple injuries, coroner Ian Arrow ruled at the inquest into the tragedy.

It is not clear which of the trio was driving at the time of the crash.

But the van they were in was travelling within the speed limit at about 55mph in atrocious weather conditions and on under-inflated tyres at the time of the accident, just before the Marsh mills turn off on June 5 last year.

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He said: "I am sure that this has been a tragic and shattering event for you all.

“The deceased were travelling along the A38 within the speed limit. The weather conditions were poor. The road surface was wet and the wind was gusting.

Senior Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, Ian Arrow

"The vehicle had under-inflated tyres. The vehicle left the carriageway and mounted the safety barrier. The van tipped to the side and and the front of the van collided with a rigid signpost, causing devastating damage to the vehicle.”

Mr Arrow said the men were fatally injured and died instantly from multiple injuries.

He concluded the cause of death was a road traffic collision.

A38 tragedy: The inquest key findings

Accident was caused by a combination of under-inflated tyres and adverse weather conditions

Van slid across the carriageway and collided with a road sign, causing catastrophic injuries

All three men were thrown from their seats - despite wearing seatbelts - making it impossible to say who was driving

Van was travelling between 53mph and 55mph at the time of the crash

Van tyres were between 62% and 75% under-inflated but there were no other vehicle defects

Wind speed was measured at 35mph

Combination of strong winds and under-inflated tyres could have caused driver to lose control

Van would not have mounted safety barrier had it been collapsible

The van left the road and mounted the barrier

It tipped to the side and collided with a rigid signpost

The three men were fatally injured and died instantly from multiple injuries